In August 1771, after Voltaire graduated from high school, he studied law for two more years due to pressure from his father. The main reason for this was that his father was a notary in the court, so he also hoped that Voltaire would

Voltaire can succeed him and become a person who is fully capable and responsible for society or his family in the future. Therefore, we can say that the starting point of Voltaire's father's thinking and logic is good intentions, but this is not good for Voltaire himself.

Said it was a disaster.

Perhaps we think this must be a disaster for Voltaire. After all, he himself was unwilling to study law, but when he was studying law, he saw the essence of the existence of such a thing as law, so he began to write satirical poems about current affairs to achieve the goal.

A process in which he was able to vent his anger.

On May 17, 1717, Voltaire was arrested and imprisoned in the Bastille for a poem called "The Young Master" that related to the Prince Regent and predicted the death of the court. In fact,

For us in modern times, the court itself is a place of death. There are many shady stories there that cannot be explained clearly in one or two sentences. But the only thing that can be explained clearly in one sentence is that the existence of the court itself is to serve high-level officials and even nobles.

of.

Then Voltaire completed the tragedy "Oedipus" in prison. After he was released from prison, he published the tragedy under the pseudonym Voltaire. The play was staged in Paris and was very popular, as was Voltaire.

He became famous in one fell swoop. In 1721, he completed the epic poem "Henriart". This epic caused a great response, but it did not receive official permission for publication. Mainly because it offended some high-ranking officials and nobles.

Issues of interests.

In 1725, Voltaire lived in England, where he studied the works of philosopher Locke and scientist Newton, and completed two historical works, "On the French Civil War" and "History of Charles XII".

"Lotus" was also completed at this time, preparing public opinion for the French bourgeois revolution of 1789. In the second half of 1729, Voltaire completed another epic "The Maiden of Orleans", reshaping

The image of Joan of Arc, the heroine of French democracy.

In 1734, after Voltaire returned to France, he published the immortal world-famous work "British Correspondence", also known as "Philosophical Correspondence", in Lyon. This work is an introduction to British politics, philosophy, science and technology in the form of letters.

It criticized the autocratic monarchy and the sectarian struggles in France, and promoted materialist ideas, which caused a great sensation. The court banned the book and burned it all, and Voltaire was forced to live in seclusion.

While in exile, Voltaire anonymously published "On Metaphysics", "The Foundations of Newton's Philosophy" and other works, which also violently attacked the feudal system and the rule of the church. Later, he was reused by the French court, and in 174

In the fifth year, he was appointed by Louis XV as the historian to compile the history of the Kingdom of France. In the following year, he was elected as an academician of the French Academy. However, he was soon forced to leave Paris because he offended the powerful ministers.

In June 1750, Voltaire left Paris for Prussia and became a favored guest of Sanssouci Palace. In 1751, he completed the historical work "The Age of Louis XIV". In 1752,

He had ideological conflicts with the King of Prussia, and their relationship broke down. Voltaire left Prussia in 1753. From then on, he determined not to associate with any monarch again. In 1754, he went to

Switzerland.

In 1755, he purchased a castle in Verne on the Swiss border and spent the rest of his life here. After settling in Verne, Voltaire actively participated in the Enlightenment and actively promoted his democracy.

thought, criticized the sins of feudal rulers and the church, and commented on various events that occurred in French society. Representative figures of the Enlightenment at this time, such as Rousseau, Diderot, Helvetius and others, all recognized Voltaire as their teacher.

He is highly respected. Among the Enlightenment thinkers, Voltaire has the largest number of literary works and the highest achievements, and his various systems are almost all-encompassing. In terms of scripts, he is most famous for the tragedies "Odipace" and "Bleu".

"Dus", "Ilana", etc. There are also comedies "The Loose Son", "A Scotswoman", etc. In terms of poetry, his most famous epics include "Henriart", "The Maiden of Orleans", etc.

In terms of novels, there are "The Honest Man", "The Innocent Man", etc. He has quick thinking, witty words, sharp writing style, and concise words. He is good at attacking his enemies with witty satire, and his words are full of laughter and angry words of philosophy.

In November 1755, two earthquakes in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, caused confusion among thinkers. Voltaire wrote two philosophical poems, "On the Disaster of Lisbon" and "On the Laws of Nature", which were criticized by Rousseau.

Criticism. In July 1758, the Swiss newspaper published an article attacking Voltaire, saying that he was not an atheist but also a madman who was carried away by his interest in the gods. In December, Voltaire published an article in the same publication.

He published "An Anonymous Essay" and openly challenged religious forces. In 1759, Voltaire completed "Candide", which dealt a devastating blow to Catholicism.

During this period, Voltaire completed the most radical treatises in his life, "The Dictionary of Philosophy" and "The Man with Forty Gold Coins". This marked the transformation and maturity of his thoughts. Voltaire's activities shook the autocratic system,

The prestige of the Catholic Church and the entire feudal system was increasing.

In 1772, the old Voltaire once again devoted himself to the battle to defend human rights and eliminate scum. He published "Philosophical Reflections on the Complaints of Miss Camp" under his real name, demanding the restoration of the Nantes Pardon and granting freedom to Protestants.

Power. In 1775, Voltaire wrote "A History of Reason", which summarized modern history. He optimistically predicted that the day when enlightened reason would achieve final victory was coming.

In 1778, the eighty-four-year-old Voltaire returned to Paris and was warmly welcomed by the people. The Paris Theater performed his new tragedy "Ilana", and the actors carried out his marble bust on the stage.

A ceremony was held to add a laurel crown to the statue. On May 30 of the same year, Voltaire died of illness.

Then we continue to learn about thinkers. When we were learning about Voltaire, we mentioned a person named Rousseau. Now we will learn about Rousseau:

Jean-Jacques Rousseau was also the most outstanding thinker during the Enlightenment, and he was also a great scientist. His ancestral home was in France. In 1712, he was born in a civilian family in Geneva, Switzerland. His father Issa

Grams was a poor watchmaker and dance teacher. His mother was the daughter of a priest. She died of illness a few days after Rousseau was born.

Rousseau lived with his aunt since he was a child. Under the guidance and encouragement of his aunt, he read many biographies and lyrical novels of ancient Roman and Greek celebrities since he was a child, and gained a wealth of knowledge. When he was ten years old, he

He was sent to live with a priest named Lambercier for two years and learned Latin. At the age of twelve, he worked as a servant at a notary. From 1725 to 1728, he worked in a

Rousseau worked as an apprentice and handyman in a carving shop with a violent personality. His life at this time was very difficult, and he had to be whipped by his master from time to time. Finally, Rousseau couldn't bear it, so he gave up his career and ran away. From then on, he began to live a miserable life.

A life of ups and downs.

In 1728, the sixteen-year-old Rousseau wandered to Savoy, came to Lyon in 1740, and came to Paris two years later. It was not until July 1750 that the Dijon Academy of Sciences announced his thesis.

After winning the first prize for "On Whether Science and Art Corrupt or Enhance Morality", Rousseau began to enjoy a reputation in society and became a famous figure in the philosophical world.

After becoming famous, Rousseau changed the direction of his life. He was determined to give up the pursuit of property and reputation and remain poor and independent forever. In 1752, his poetic drama "The Village Magician" was staged and achieved great success.

, the day after the performance, King Louis XV of France awarded him an old-age pension, but he refused to accept it.

In 1755, Rousseau published his most important theoretical masterpiece, "On the Origin and Basis of Human Inequality", which shocked the whole of Europe. In this book, he fiercely attacked private property and proposed that violence can support

The tyrant can also overthrow the tyrant's dialectical thinking. In 1758, he had a disagreement with Diderot, the leader of the Encyclopedia group, on religious issues, and finally parted ways with the Encyclopedia group. After that, he suffered from a disease

Due to the paranoia of persecution, he suffered severe pain.

But between 1761 and 1762, he completed his three most important works: "New Love", "Emile" and "The Social Contract". "New Love"

"Lois" reveals the conflict of social ethics and morals by narrating the tragic love between Saint-Preux, a girl from a commoner's background, and Juliet, a daughter of an aristocrat. "Emile" believes that a person is born perfect, and the duty of an educator is to maintain

This perfect nature of children promotes the natural development of educated people.

"The Social Contract" concentratedly embodied Rousseau's democratic thoughts, and later became one of the most influential works reflecting traditional Western political thought. Rousseau believed that the country was created by the conclusion of a contract, and the people were the subject of the contract.

.So the people have the right to abrogate contracts that are unfavorable to them and establish contracts that are consistent with their rights. This is the famous theory of people's sovereignty.

The publication of "Emile" and "The Social Contract" actually brought huge disasters to Rousseau. After all, he was shaking down the restraint and rule of the high-level people over the civilians, that is, discussing the essential issues of rule. Therefore, the high-level officials and the aristocrats
Chapter completed!